


10 Beautiful Words

by Chellendora



Category: Captain America, Hulk - Fandom, Iron Man - Fandom, Marvel, The Avengers, Thor - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fanfiction, Reader Insert, Second person POV, Spoilers, you fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-10
Updated: 2015-05-08
Packaged: 2018-03-22 06:55:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3719329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chellendora/pseuds/Chellendora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the “10 Beautiful Words” Challenge on Lunaesence<br/><br/>Reader x Avengers<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fernweh (Thor)

**Author's Note:**

> The challenge was to take ten words from [this article](http://www.buzzfeed.com/danieldalton/ever-embasan#.aeW7j2dR) and write ten chapters, one for each word. Here is my submission.

**_Fernweh—_ ** _a longing to travel, missing a place you’ve never been_

As a senior agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. you had seen much of the world, albeit typically from the observation deck of the Helicarrier. You had seen the length of the Great Wall of China, listened to the echo of the engines in the Grand Canyon, and stood at the peak of Mount Everest without climbing a step. Despite the amazing destinations you’d already seen, you wanted more. You yearned to travel, and it didn’t matter where, but the more exotic the better.

It didn’t take long after neutralizing Loki before the traveler bug bit you again. You began to spend most of your free time on the observation deck, gazing betwixt clouds at the Earth below. That’s where you were when Thor stepped off the elevator. You heard the doors open and close, and his footsteps as he approached, but you just thought it was one of the other agents. It was rare that you were there alone, like today. 

“Agent ___,” greeted Thor enthusiastically as he came to stand beside you at the railing.

At realizing who it was you perked up, a bright grin spreading across your face. “Thor! I didn’t know you were here!” you excitedly replied. Then a thought struck you and your face fell.

Thor seemed to read your mind and gave a hearty laugh. The sound reverberated through your bones and you couldn’t help but feel joy. “Rest assured my abilities are not needed. It was necessary for me to visit Midgard, and Fury convinced me to drop by for a meeting.”

You stifled a chuckle. Lately the Director had been irritated that he was being brushed off by his Avengers, so you could just imagine what that “convincing” entailed.

“I’m glad you aren’t here to fight,” you admitted, “but I’m happy to see you!”

Thor smiled. It was warm and friendly, and secretly butterflies filled your gut. You had worked closely with the Avengers and counted each one as a dear friend. You would be lying, though, if you said you didn’t hope for more between you and Thor.

“It is good to see you as well, ___,” he replied. He turned to look through the window panels, but the earth was currently blocked by clouds.

“That’s been my view most of the day,” you said as you watched the clouds twisting and churning from the Helicarrier’s turbulence. “Sometimes I think our pilots fly over cloudy places on purpose just to ruin my day.”

“You spend a fair amount of your time here,” said Thor. It wasn’t a question, he had noticed even when you knew Loki, the Tesseract, and Earth’s fate had been on his mind; you had been important enough to remember, and that brought heat to your cheeks. 

“I want to see as much as possible of this world,” you confessed freely. It wasn’t a big revelation, but not many at S.H.I.E.L.D. had bothered to ask why you were there—besides the obvious Earth-saving and needing a job thing, of course. “If I could I would to go space!” You laughed slightly at yourself, hoping he wouldn’t find you silly.

A small grin cracked his face, he found your enthusiasm endearing. “Would you ever visit Asgard?”

Your head snapped to look at him, your ponytail wrapping around your neck momentarily from the motion. Your eyes were shining as you said, “Would I ever!” You then forced yourself to calm down. You knew his question was not an invitation and you didn’t want to mislead him into thinking you took it otherwise. “What’s it like? I’ve read our files on it, but it’s your home.”

“Indeed.” The look in Thor’s eyes became distant, no longer seeing the clouds he gazed out upon. It was simple to tell that he was conjuring up the images of home he held dear in his mind. “It is…a magnificent realm.” Though the words were simple, spoken in a hushed tone, the emotion behind them spoke of a place he missed and revered. 

You listened as he described a world you could barely imagine: A sky brilliant with stars and nebulae, atriums and temples artfully crafted from stone and glass, plants and animals you could have never dreamed up on your own, and a strong bridge made of rainbow. 

You could feel the bittersweet tugging in your gut now, the longing to see somewhere, be somewhere beautiful and _not here_.

As he finished describing Asgard, the look in his eyes faded and he turned to give you a crooked, sheepish grin. “My apologies, ___, I did not mean to speak at such length.”

“No!” You were quick to disagree, and for a moment your eagerness startled him. “I love hearing someone describe their home.” You smiled at him, feeling the warm glow of embarrassment. “Asgard sounds amazing. I wish I could see it.”

Thor was silent for a moment. He looked out over the clouds, deep in thought. Just as you braced yourself to inquire what was wrong, he reached over and gently took your hand in his. Startled, and with a heart racing at lightning speed, you looked up into his blue eyes. Subconsciously you noted that they were the same color as a cloudless sky.

“One day you will see it,” he said, his smile slightly timid. You weren’t accustomed to this shier side of the Thunder God, but you had to admit it was adorable. “I know you will love it, ___.” 

You couldn’t restrain the grin that split your face, nor could you resist standing on the tips of your toes to place a kiss on Thor’s cheek. “I can’t wait!”

* * *


	2. Hygge (Bruce)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a Bruce chapter! It's slightly longer than Thor's, which is funny considering Thor is my bae...but I love Bruce too, he's so troubled and adorable. I just want to hug him!  
>   
> I'm not used to using name blanks, I typically don't like them, but for some reason they seemed better than picking a name for everyone this time around. For pretty much all the chapters you will be a senior agent of SHIELD, though.  
>   
> If you've never heard "Fly" by Einaudi, it's worth listening to. [Click here!](https://youtu.be/LzfpvMe1avk)

  
**_Hygge—_** an absence of anything annoying, taking pleasure from the presence of gentle or soothing things

When you were first stationed to the Helicarrier to assist with the Avengers Initiative, the first thing you did was explore everywhere you were allowed, which was pretty much anywhere sans personal quarters and certain labs. For the most part you saw steel siding and fluorescent lighting, but one room stood out as your favorite.

It was a common room of sorts for senior agents and up, including the superheroes. There was plush seating, a full bar, a pool table, holographic television screens in multiple locations, large windows overlooking the stern of the ship, and—what you were most excited about—a sleek, black baby grand piano.

Every moment of your off-duty hours that weren’t used for eating, sleeping, or showering was spent on the bench, your fingers skillfully dancing across the keys. You had grown up with lessons as well as parents that played, so you were capable of playing everything from Mozart and Danny Elfman to pop music and showtunes.

Today you had found free sheet music online for “Fly” by Ludovico Einaudi. After some rough sight reading you finally began to build the muscle memory you needed to play more smoothly. Within the hour, you could play through the piece with little to no mistakes. 

When you finally stopped for a break you heaved an audible sigh, thinking you were alone, and then nearly jumped from your skin when you heard slow and quiet applause behind you. 

Whipping around on the bench, you were surprised to see Bruce Banner leaning against the bar, a barely touched drink on the counter beside him.

“Bruce!” Your heartrate slowed down and you exhaled deliberately. “How long have you been there?”

“Since the frequency in which you said ‘damn’ was twice every sixty seconds.” He smiled; it was somewhat sheepish and somewhat teasing. 

You blushed, running your knuckles along your cheekbone as though it were possible to erase it. “I get frustrated when I make mistakes.”

“Don’t we all?” he replied, something in his voice drawing your attention, but he walked forward to stand beside you. He picked up the sheet music you had just been playing and seemed to study it for a long moment. Finally, he laughed, placing it back on the piano’s stand. “I can do equations for quantum mechanics, but that looks like ancient Greek to me.”

You laughed, turning back around on the bench and sliding to one end. You patted the empty space next to you and Bruce sat, turning his head to look at you.

“It actually isn’t too hard once you get used to it,” you explained, placing your fingers on the keys again. The pads of your fingers slightly brushed the keys, your wrists were upturned. “When I first started though, I had to sit and write the name of each note on my music.” You chuckled at the memory and slowly, quietly began to play again. “It can be a challenge sometimes, but it’s the most relaxing thing in the world to me.”

Bruce hummed a response. His hands were clasped in his lap as he leaned forward slightly, listening and watching as you played. You glanced out of the corner of your eye to see that he was smiling a little, just the corner of his mouth was turned up.

You reached a good stopping point in the piece and turned to look at him fully. “Do you want to learn something?”

He looked a little apprehensive, but he said, “If you’re willing to teach, I’m always interested in learning new things.”

You grinned brightly, loving any chance to share the power of music with someone, and turned to grab the manila folder that was leaning against one leg of the piano. In your messy handwriting across the front was “___’s Sheet Music” and you had doodled multiple quarter and eighth notes all over. You placed the music for “Fly” back inside and then quickly shifted through your music, deciding on “Claire de Lune” in the end. It was a beautiful, easily recognizable piece, and one that you found extremely soothing. You smoothed the paper out on the stand and then shifted slightly closer to Bruce as you started to explain.

“The first thing to understand are beats…” you began. For the next hour you explained that each quarter note received a full beat, each eighth note a half, and so on. Soon you had him playing the first two measures of the music, albeit so slowly the music was yet to be recognizable. 

“Make sure to keep your wrists up,” you said, placing your index finger underneath his left wrist and gently pressing upward. You could feel his pulse, and it may have been your imagination, but it seemed to speed up at your touch. You felt a little blush on your cheeks but ignored it.

“More like this?” he asked, standing his wrists up too tall. His fingers couldn’t even make it half an octave in breadth like that.

You laughed some, now placing three fingers on top of his wrist to slightly push it down. “Not too high, and not too low either. You want to give your fingers the best mobility possible.”

“This is a lot harder than I expected,” he admitted, but he was smiling. In fact, he had been smiling throughout most of your lesson. You couldn’t remember the last time you had seen him look so happy and at ease, and it made your heart swell with happiness that you could give him a moment like this, free from the worry of the “other guy.” 

“Once you build up the muscle memory it becomes easier,” you explained with a grin.

Bruce stared at the music for a long moment, and you knew the expression he had. You had seen it on his face plenty of times when he was working in the lab, wracking his mind to figure something out. You remained silent as he studied the first two bars, and then set fingers to keys again. This time when he played it sounded like the beginning of “Claire de Lune,” though a little slower and louder.

“That’s it!” you said with enthusiasm. “I knew you’d pick this up quickly.”

He sat back, flexing his fingers and turning his wrists around. He would have to get used to this new sensation if he was going to learn. He turned his head slightly so he could look at you, a crooked smile on his face.

“It’s remarkable.”

“Hm?” You tilted your head to the side curiously. “What is?”

“During this whole time—I just now realized it—but I had completely forgotten about Loki’s scepter and…and the big guy.” His face fell slightly and your heart went with it.

Calculating quickly you shifted closer to him again, this time your hip was against his and you could easily feel the warmth from his body. “In that case, I could keep teaching you.” You grinned brightly, not wanting to let him slip into sadness again.

The smile returned to his lips when he looked at you, and then he leaned forward to place a gentle, lingering kiss against your cheek.

“I would love that, ___.”

* * *


	3. Dépaysement (Steve)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all got lucky cause I actually finished two chapters in one day! The next chapter is Clint, and it's already started as well. I start my new job tomorrow (well, today...) and I work from 3-10 with an hour drive home so you may not see another chapter until Monday or even Tuesday. I'm in that homestretch of school now with finals and papers and portfolios being due and my personal time is diminishing before my eyes. D':

  
**_Dépaysement—_** the disorientation felt in a foreign country or culture, the feeling of being a “fish out of water”

You trudged down to the Helicarrier’s kitchens in your pajamas, which consisted of a S.H.I.E.L.D. T-shirt and black cloth shorts. You didn’t expect to run into anyone, it was nearly 3AM and the only sounds were the quiet hums of the ship operating. All the windows were shut for the night, but it was too pitch black out to see anything anyway. You tried not to make too much noise as you made your way up from the personal quarters deck, determined to complete your mission without anyone the wiser.

That mission? Food. You were starving. You woke up absolutely ravenous, and you couldn’t explain why, but you knew how to fix it.

You turned the corner into the kitchen, not registering that the lights were on until you were already standing inside the threshold. You blinked in the brightness, your eyesight readjusting. When they had, you saw none other than Captain America standing at the counter, holding a brightly colored block of packaging in his hand and looking very perplexed as he read over it, and read over it again.

You were surprised to see him, you had gotten accustomed to his “early to bed, early to rise” mentality. “What're you doing up so late, Cap?” you asked as you approached to stand beside him.

He turned his head to look at you and cracked a sheepish smile. “I woke up hungry, but I forgot that I haven’t had to prepare food for myself since before the war. I don’t know what I’m doing, much less with this modern…” he trailed off, looking quizzically at the packet that you now realized was instant ramen noodles, and then looked at you again. “Is this food or a sponge?”

You barked out a laugh, quickly covering your mouth with your hand. “I’m sorry, doll, that was funny.” You took the pack from him, your fingers brushing against his hand. “It tastes dreadful by itself, but if you add the right stuff it can be really good.” You placed the packet of ramen beside the industrial sized stove and then moved to the fridge to grab a couple of eggs.

Steve leaned against the counter, out of your way, and watched as you brought the eggs to a boil before stepping back.

“I gotta wait about ten minutes on those,” you said when he raised an eyebrow at you.

“In that case…” Steve reached out and took your hand, pulling you to him. You squeaked in surprise, but laughed as you came to lean against his chest, one hand flat against him and your other around his middle.

“I thought you didn’t want anyone at S.H.I.E.L.D. to know yet?” you questioned, but your satisfied smirk showed you weren’t complaining.

“Now that’s not what I said,” he answered with a small laugh. “I just said I didn’t want Stark to know yet.”

You rolled your eyes, but while normally you’d feel a little exasperated over this ridiculous civil war between him and Tony, you were too tired for it tonight and enjoying the moment with Steve. They were few and far between as it was.

“He might stop flirting with me if he knew we’re dating,” you suggested and then laughed at Steve’s incredulous expression. “Doll, don’t be so concerned about it,” you cooed, placing a little kiss on his nose. “I choose _you_.”

He smiled slightly, pressing his forehead against yours while his arms around your waist drew you closer. “I’ll never understand why,” he admitted slowly, quietly. “Stark has much more to offer a woman…”

You drew your head back to look at him in muted shock. Yes, you were aware of the animosity between the two Avengers, but this was the first you’d heard that Steve was actually feeling inadequate compared to Tony.

“Honey,” you cupped his face with both hands, locking your eyes with his blue ones, “What you have to offer is worth much more to me than what Tony could give.” You pulled him down to you, pressing your lips to his, your hands slipping through his hair to wrap around his neck.

He responded immediately, cradling the back of your head in his hand as he deepened the kiss. He turned you around so that your back was against the fridge and he was pressed against you. The Helicarrier melted away. You and Steve were the only ones in the world.

At least, until the stove timer blared and you came back to your senses.

You moved back from Steve, your lips parting with a soft pop. You shut the timer off and moved the pot to the sink, running cold water into it. Grabbing a second packet of chicken ramen you tore them both open, filled a second saucepan with water, and set about cooking the noodles.

“This doesn’t seem too complicated,” Steve commented as he watched over your shoulder. You were adding the flavoring now and stirring it in.

“It isn’t, it’s even easier in the microwave but I think it tastes better this way.”

“This is the microwave?” Steve questioned, pointing to a black Keurig on the counter.

You laughed. “That’s a coffee maker.”

He looked disbelieving between you and the appliance. “ _That_ makes coffee? What happened to the pot?”

You smiled, shoveling half of the noodles into each bowl, then set about mixing the chopped boiled eggs into the ramen. “I’ll show you how that works in the morning.”

You took both bowls and led the way into the mess hall, sitting at one of the many empty tables. Steve sat across from you.

“ _Bon appétit_!” you said cheerfully as you handed him a fork. You watched curiously as he twisted some of the noodles around the tines then speared a piece of egg before eating it all in one bite.

You took a bite of yours as you waited for his reaction. Suddenly his eyes widened and he stopped chewing. You were sure he thought it was awful, but then he exclaimed, “This is delicious!”

You laughed. “Wow, you really did grow up on army rations.”

He glared at you, but it was playful. “This is definitely better than rations.”

With a grin, you turned to your food. The two of you enjoyed your late night meal together, and when you retired for the night it wasn’t to your own quarters.

* * *


	4. Jayus (Clint)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one may not be up to par and I apologize, I’m absolutely swamped with school and work right now. Next up is Tony, and then we start all over again with Thor.

  
**_Jayus—_** a joke so poorly told and unfunny you can’t help but laugh

You still had an hour of sleep left when you heard your phone buzzing with a text message. With a groggy groan, you rolled over and snatched it from your night stand, nearly ripping it from its charge cord. You pressed the unlock button, were briefly blinded by the bright light in your dark cabin, and then looked at your messages. It was from Clint.

_When someone smiles it looks like :D_

You rolled your eyes, closing your phone and tucking it under your pillow as you curled up for a little more sleep before it was time to start the day. But just as you were about to fall back to sleep, your phone buzzed again.

_When Nick Fury smiles it looks like .D_

You sputtered out a laugh, covering your mouth and glancing around your room as though you expected the director to burst in at any moment and fire you for laughing. Finally you put thumbs to keyboard and replied:

_You better not let Fury see that one, or you’re in deep shit._

You didn’t attempt to go back to sleep now, it wouldn’t be worth it. Instead you spent longer under the hot water in your shower so that by the time you stepped out you were completely awake. 

As you made your way to the Helicarrier’s cafeteria for breakfast, you heard your name called and turned to see Clint approaching.

“How’d you like my morning joke?” he asked, smiling confidently.

You rolled your eyes, laughing a little despite yourself. “You should tell them at night to help me go to sleep.” You feigned a yawn to make your point.

“Oh!” He clutched his heart dramatically, staggering back against the wall. “You’ve wounded me.”

You laughed fully now, grabbing his arm to pull him along down the hallway. “You’re an idiot.”

“I am not!” he exclaimed with faux offense. “I’m so bright my mother calls me ‘son.’”

You sputtered and covered your mouth with your hand. “The jokes you tell are so awful they’re funny.”

 

Later in the day found you in a far less joyous mood. You were swamped with paperwork. All of it was expected by the morning, but you had had to spend too much of your day chasing Avengers down to have them sign necessary forms and waivers so you were terribly behind.

It was well past three in the morning when you finally trudged out of your office, clutching your empty coffee mug. You slipped into the kitchen to brew more, but while you waited you leaned your stomach and face against the fridge and fell asleep.

When you woke it was slow and groggy and caused by someone placing his hand on your shoulder and gently shaking you.

“Forms B6-52 and HC-20 go into the same file,” you murmured and then looked around in confusion. Clint was still standing beside you with his hand on your shoulder, and a smirk on his lips.

You groaned, closing your eyes as you peeled yourself away from the fridge. Opening them you looked to the coffee maker. You cup was refilled and still steaming, so you hadn’t dozed off for long.

“Long night?” Clint asked as you moved to grab your cup. You drank it black because you were too tired to add anything. 

After taking a few sips of the blessedly hot beverage you looked up at Clint and nodded. “I have a lot of paperwork tonight.”

“How much more do you have?” he asked. He was filling a mug of coffee for himself. “Can I help?”

“It has to be my signature,” you muttered into your cup, but then you looked up at him and your eyes were a little brighter. “You could help file, though. By myself it’d take me two hours but with you it’d be half the time.”

Clint grabbed his coffee and smiled at you. “Then let’s do it.”

You led the way back to your office, briefly explained the filing system, and then set pen to paper. At first Clint asked questions about what the various forms were for, commenting on how he didn’t realize there was so much actual paper still involved with paperwork at S.H.I.E.L.D., but then the two of you lapsed into silence. 

“Why did the fish get kicked out of school?” he asked after about twenty minutes of quiet.

“I don’t know, why?”

“He got caught with seaweed.”

You snorted, then silence prevailed for another ten minutes.

“Why does Waldo wear stripes?”

“As in _Where’s Waldo_?” you asked. Sign, date, hand off. Sign, date, hand off.

“Yes.”

“I dunno.”

“He doesn’t want to be spotted.”

You rolled your eyes but chuckled some to yourself. When another ten minutes rolled around like clockwork Clint had another joke.

“How did the hipster burn his mouth?”

“Cigarettes.” You knew that wasn’t the answer or funny, but you didn’t want to keep repeating yourself either.

“No. He ate his dinner before it was cool.” He over-pronounced the “oo” in “cool.”

At that one you laughed out loud, turning in your chair to look at him. “You’re just full of corny jokes, aren’t you?”

He shrugged, leaning his arm on the open file cabinet as he looked at you. “You’re the only person who actually laughs at them, so I’m unleashing them all on you.”

“Aren’t I lucky?” you responded sarcastically, turning back to your desk.

“Yes, yes you are.” He aimed his affectionate smile at the back of your head.

* * *


	5. Tsundoku (Tony)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not very happy with this one, but I just don’t know what to do with it so here’s hoping the second Tony chapter will be much better.  
> This ends the first round. Next up is Thor again. I doubt I’m going to finish this before the 30th between work and school, but I’m going to try.

  
**_Tsundoku—_** buying books and not reading them, often leaving them in tall stacks

It was typical of your relationship with Tony, but he would stow away in his lab because he “just had an epiphany!” and has to go work on it right away, so you spent all this free time snoop—er— _exploring_ the penthouse.

You found _Playboy_ magazines in the bathroom. And the bedroom. And the kitchen. You pretty much found them everywhere. That was expected.

You found the illegal liquor Absinthe in the bar. That was expected.

Money in the mattress: Expected; embarrassing amounts of hair gel: Also expected.

Finding over a dozen stacks of books almost as tall as you in the closet: Not expected.

Tony had plenty of books; he had multiple degrees and a variety of interests, after all. But these were books like _Knitting for Dummies_ , _The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing a Novel_ , and even dime-store smut meant for lonely housewives. You picked through the towers of books, picking up random ones to flip quickly through them. The variety was staggering, you couldn’t predict what you would discover next.

Finally you had enough exploring and hatched an idea. You gathered three books— _Polka Through Time_ , _How to Start an Acapella Group_ , and _Kittens Are Like That_ —and made your way to Tony’s lab. 

Sometimes he locked the door, so when you tried the handle and it gave way, you beamed. You stepped inside and looked around for Tony. He was standing at a work bench, using small, thin tongs to manipulate… _something_ inside what looked like a circuit board. He didn’t hear you come in. 

You took _Kittens Are Like That_ from under your arm and held it under Tony's face. He slowly removed his microscope goggles, focused seriously on the book, and then turned to look at you with a look of pure horror in his eyes.

“You found it.”

“Oh, I found it,” you teased with an evil smile. “So, what are all these books you’re hiding?”

“They’re Jarvis’s.”

“I don’t read books, Master Stark,” replied the AI gleefully. Tony glared into random space.

“The _truth_ , Tony.” You laughed, bracing one hip against the workbench. You held up the other two books that you had brought.

He looked extremely uncomfortable for a long moment, and then sighed, running a hand down his face.

“I’m a tsundoku,” he said.

You raised one eyebrow. “You’re _what_?”

“A tsundoku,” he repeated, like it was supposed to answer your question.

“Yeah, what is that, Tony?” You placed the two books you had been holding on the workbench and crossed your arms.

“Weeell, it’s someone who buys books that they never get around to reading,” he admitted sheepishly, “and usually end up in abandoned in piles.”

You were bewildered. For one thing, you had never seen Tony act self-conscious. For another, what was the big deal about these books?

“That isn’t entirely true,” Jarvis said, bringing you out of your thoughts. You looked toward the AI’s main monitor as Tony began to cut his arm through the air, trying to signal the robot not to answer.

But Jarvis continued: “You read all of the scrapbooking and fondue books recently.”

“FOR RESEARCH!” he shouted, having to raise his voice to be heard over your roaring laughter.

“And when Miss ___ isn’t over for the evening, you read _Kittens Are_ —” Jarvis’s voice failed, stretching out into nothing as all the lights in the lab went dark. You took your phone from your pocket and activated the flashlight. It illuminated Tony’s legs sticking out from under the workbench, and when you leaned over to look, he held a giant plug in his hand and a triumphant grin on his face.

“I knew I would need this,” he announced proudly.

* * *


	6. Ubuntu (Thor)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got sent home from work today because I got sick, and now that I’m home I can’t sleep, so I’m doped up on nausea medicine and writing. I’m pushing to finish this, but I’m still focused on quality too, my homies. Next up is Bruce! I’m following the same pattern, so then it’ll be Steve, Clint, and Tony again. Not to mention a bonus chapter at the end, but I’ll leave that a surprise :D

  
**_Ubuntu—_** the belief that we are defined by our compassion and kindness toward others

You were a senior agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Commander Maria Hill’s right-hand. You were a formidable soldier, well-trained in many types of weaponry as well as first aid. Talented, skilled, socially adept…you brought a lot to the team surrounding the Avengers. 

At least, you had felt confident in your abilities up until you watched the heroes single-handedly save New York, and by consequence the world. Compared to that you no longer felt like an asset, now you felt like a hindrance. And if there was one thing you couldn’t stand, it was feeling like you were in the way.

You continued to feel this way until S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, when suddenly what you felt was just not so important anymore. Now hundreds of lives were on the line and the organization that had once protected all the agents was in disarray, a very dangerous state to be in, especially with Hydra embedded in the system.

You took it upon yourself to track down anyone and everyone connected to S.H.I.E.L.D., racing to warn them their orders were coming from Hydra before it was too late. This mission took you all over the world, and today you were in Iceland tracking down an undercover agent keeping an eye on a potential S.H.I.E.L.D. ally. You had heard there was a statue dedicated to Thor in the area, so after getting some directions from a vendor near the airport you hopped in a taxi and rode two hours outside of town.

He left you at the base of a steep hill. On top you could see the statue of Thor, a large man with bulging muscles sitting on a boulder, Mjölnir braced against the ground. You climbed to the top to stand in front of the ancient rock, your back to the icy wind. You popped the collar of your jacket and shoved your hands into your pockets, staring into the chiseled face. It did somewhat resemble the real Thor, but time and weather had distorted the facial features. 

After a long time in silence, you sighed and said, “I wish I was as worthy as you, Thor.” Was your mission the right thing to be doing right now? You could be wasting time traipsing across the world while S.H.I.E.L.D. desperately tried to close rank and purge itself of Hydra, missing your chance back home to be of use. But then again, maybe they were better off without you underfoot.

You sighed again and turned to leave. Your breath hitched in your throat, your heart thudding in your ribcage. Standing before you in all his Asgardian glory was Thor Odinson. 

You opened your mouth, but you couldn’t settle on what to say, so you closed it again.

He cracked a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head; it was very endearing, but the silence between the two of you was awkward. 

“Wh-what are you doing here?” you finally managed to ask.

“Well, er—you summoned me.”

You felt an eyebrow lift incredulously.

He gestured to the monument behind you as he approached, stopping at your side. You took a step back and turned to look at him.

“If you speak my name here I can hear you,” he explained. When he turned his head to look at you his eyes were worried. “Why do you think you are not worthy, ___?”

You tensed, having momentarily forgotten what you said. The words came back to you and you blushed; hopefully he assumed it was the cold biting at your skin making your cheeks so red. 

You had no idea where to begin. You felt quite close to Thor, more so than the other Avengers, but you hadn’t vocalized this to anyone yet. It was something you had always thought better left unsaid.

But no one had straight up asked before, either. It seemed such a small thing, but it made all the difference. So you told him, shivering in the wind on top of the hill, surrounded by nothing but Nordic countryside. 

When you finished, Thor was quiet for a long minute. His expression was thoughtful, but regardless of what he eventually said, you felt lighter just because someone had asked and listened.

“In Asgard, we are all warriors,” he began. “It is easy for me to forget the frailty of humans.”

You frowned slightly. So far this did not make you feel better, and you wondered if you shouldn’t have explained after all.

“It is not so easy to forget humanity’s strength, however,” he finished, seeming to not notice your expression. “You are resilient and talented, ___, but most importantly you are compassionate.” His eyes softened as he stared into yours. “In the end, it is who we are that matters, and who _you_ are could never be unworthy.”

Hearing those words from a true hero, an Avenger, meant the entire world to you in that moment. Tears stung your eyes and you furiously swiped them away.

Then you did something you didn’t expect: You stepped forward and wrapped your arms around Thor’s middle, squeezing him in a hug.

He was startled at first, but when you said, “Thank you,” he smiled and returned your embrace.

“I only spoke the truth, I do not need thanks for that,” he replied, but his grin was wide and bright.

* * *


	7. Mamihlapinatapai (Bruce)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one didn’t turn out like I expected, it’s funny there’s actually very little Bruce in it…Steve is next, hopefully going up tomorrow.

  
**_Mamihlapinatapai—_** wordless look between two people who both desire something, yet are equally reluctant to initiate

It was possible it was all in your head, that your heart was making you see things not really there out of hope, but there was something that said you weren’t imagining things. Somehow you knew what was on Bruce’s mind when he looked at you, always when he thought you didn’t notice. The idea that you didn’t know almost made you laugh; you could feel his gaze on you like a physical touch, and it sent shivers down your spine.

You may have felt so sure you knew what those gazes meant, but that did nothing to ease your anxiety when you contemplated confrontation. Immediately your heart would speed up, your palms would sweat, and you’d start to shake.

Like now. You lifted your trembling coffee mug to your lips slowly, staring hard at the surface of the cafeteria table where you sat. Bruce had been at a table nearby having after-breakfast coffee with Tony and Clint, but since then the two former had left in the direction of the labs.

Suddenly Clint dropped into the seat across from you and said, “All right, this is getting ridiculous.”

You straightened up, your hands tightening around your mug as you regarded him. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t play so innocent!” He waved his hand at you, like he was dissipating smoke. “You and the big guy have been playing footsie with your eyes for almost a month now.”

You blushed furiously, the heat in your cheeks so intense you felt sun burned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you stammered, and took a desperate gulp of hot coffee. It burned your throat as it went down, causing your eyes to water, but you resisted the urge to cough.

You must have looked pretty pained, because Clint was staring at you with wide eyes, then his expression morphed until one eyebrow was cocked and he was staring at you with thinly veiled incredulity. 

Swallowing hard, you said quietly, “Fine. But I’m not doing anything about it.”

“But _he_ won’t make the first move,” Clint whined. “You know how Bruce is. He’ll think he’s saving you from himself by not admitting that he’s in love with you.”

You were glad you hadn’t been drinking your coffee because you sputtered. “What!? He is not _in love_ with me.”

“Aren’t you with him?”

“I wouldn’t call it love, not yet…”

“Then you need to make a move or it won’t ever be love!” Clint exclaimed. You shushed at him, waving your arms frantically as if that would muffle the sound. A few heads swiveled around to look at the two of you.

“Are you trying to humiliate me?” you hissed at him under your breath, glaring at the cheeky archer. 

“I’m trying to help you admit your feelings. To Bruce.”

“I am not going to go push myself onto Bruce just because you want me to,” you snapped.

He sighed, exasperatedly letting his head fall into his hand. “You two are ridiculously stubborn. You’re so made for each other!”

“I have work to do, Clint,” you said as you stood. You turned your tray in and headed out into the hall. Unfortunately, your work was lab assistant to Bruce and Tony so you were on your way to the labs, and Hawkeye was on your heels moments after leaving the cafeteria. 

“Look, I’ll lure Tony out and then you tell him. How’s that?” he suggested, smirking at you.

You growled, shooting a sharp look in his direction. “Why does this mean so much to you?” Maybe if you could take control of the conversation you could shake him off of you before you got to the lab. 

“Because you mean so much to Bruce,” he answered immediately, and in such a way that suggested it was the most obvious thing in the world. When you looked at him this time the joking was gone from his face, and he looked thoughtful. “And because he obviously means _something_ to you, unless all those looks were just gas.”

You sighed. Your heart sped up before you even thought the words, so your voice shook a little when you finally said, “Okay. Distract Tony.”

Clint grinned widely at you and took off, running toward the lab. You slowed your pace, wanting to give him more time to take Tony away, and you didn’t want to show up on his heels.

You held one hand in the other to stop them from shaking. Your stomach was starting to flip and flop, twisting itself into knots and then untying itself to do it all over again. It felt like you were going to be sick, but you knew it was just anxiety. 

When you reached the lab you found Clint and Tony gone, and only Bruce standing at one of the tables, typing something into his laptop. You stood at the large window, watching as he focused on his work. He only paused to adjust his glasses before he went back to it.

You pulled the door open softly and stepped inside. He looked up when you did, and a small but bright smile appeared on his face.

“Morning, ___. How are you?”

“I’m good,” you said, crossing the room to stand in front of him. “Can I talk to you about something?” 

You could hear your heart pounding in your ears as he looked at you curiously, reaching up to remove his glasses. “Is something wrong?”

“No, no,” you shook your head and gave a sheepish smile. “Just something I need to tell you…”

You looked up into his eyes and he gazed back, and the tension you felt became palpable. You felt warmth curl around your heart, and your smile grew. Again the reluctance crept back in, and you knew he was feeling the same, but Clint’s words came to you: _“You need to make a move or it won’t ever be love.”_

So, you made the move.

* * *


	8. Utepils (Steve)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate that I wasn’t able to finish before the 30th, but it was so kind of Penguiduck to include me in the announcements anyway! I’m still pushing to finish this but I also still have a portfolio to finish. Luckily, this chapter and one more is ready to go. I actually like these two chapters, I think they came out well. I hope you feel the same. Next up is Clint!

  
**_Utepils—_** to sit outside enjoying a beer on a sunny day

You met Steve on the docks as you approached the shuttle bus that would take you to the parking lot where your car had been left for the last week. He was standing off to the side of the bustling agents, some going on leave and the rest coming on duty, staring absent-mindedly at the Helicarrier (currently in ship form). You stepped out of line and sat your bag down at your feet.

“Good morning, Cap!” you exclaimed cheerfully.

Curiously, he turned to look at you and then cracked a smile. “Good morning, ___. Going on leave?” It may have been your imagination, but he didn’t sound like himself. He sounded distracted or…sad.

“I am, what about you?” you returned, particularly listening to his tone when he replied.

“Me too, but I’ll just be sitting around my apartment as usual.” He was still smiling, but it had waned.

“Well, that sounds boring!” You looked at the shuttle bus, which was still loading, and then lifted your wrist to look at your watch. “Hey, Steve, if you don’t have any plans how about you come with me and have dinner? A few of my friends and I are grilling out tonight for the helluva it.” You grinned encouragingly at him. 

Steve tried to resist a smile, but he lost the battle and it came through like the sun’s rays bursting through the clouds. “Only if I won’t be imposing…”

“Please. My girlfriends will go nuts!” You laughed lightly, imagining their faces when you brought Steve Rogers, _the_ Captain America, into your house for barbeque.

“If you’re sure,” he began, “that would be great.”

“Sweet! Let’s go then, before the shuttle leaves!”

 

You lived in an attached brick home in the suburbs, very thin but tall with three stories. Pulling into your driveway you saw that your three closest friends—Carly, Dustin, and Jessica—were already there (Carly had a key). A thin stream of smoke was visible above the roof, meaning they already had the grill going.

“Come on in,” you said to Steve with a smile as you opened the door and stepped inside. Into the house you called, “Hey! I’m here!”

A chorus of “Hey” and “Hi” came back to you from the kitchen, but they were accompanied by the scraping of claws against tile. In the next moment your dog, an ecstatic golden retriever, turned the corner into the hall and barreled toward you.

You braced yourself just in time and caught the dog around the middle as he pounced on you in a bear-hug and started to lick your face and whine with happiness.

“Murphy!” You grinned and furiously scratched his ears. He dog-grinned up at you, panting quickly. He barked once and then noticed Steve.

You turned to look at him too and that was all Murphy needed, he jumped on Steve like he had you, barking cheerfully.

“Whoa!” Steve caught the dog and laughed, scratching the side of his neck. “You’re a big boy.”

“He loves meeting new people,” you said with a smile. The way Steve looked in this moment had your heart fluttering. He looked so genuinely happy, and seeing that he was a good with dogs just made you like him even more.

“___? Who’s there?”

Carly and Jessica stepped out of the kitchen to see who you were talking to, and their jaws dropped.

“Oh…my…GOD! It’s CAPTAIN AMERICA!” Carly exclaimed, her eyes bugging out of her head. Jessica’s had also grown to the size of saucers.

“It’s nice to meet you, ladies,” said Steve politely, ever the gentleman. “You can just call me Steve.” He smiled, and you thought your friends were going to faint.

“Okay, enough,” you said with a small amused smile. You moved to usher them back into the kitchen, then you turned back to smile at Steve, albeit somewhat sheepishly. “I’m sorry about that.”

Steve held up a hand, the other was still scratching Murphy’s head. “That’s all right.”

“You should go on out to the backyard and meet Dustin, he won’t swoon.” You cracked a grin. “Would you like a beer, lemonade, soda?”

He considered for a moment and then said, “A beer sounds great.”

“I’ll bring it to you, the backyard is straight down the hall through the sliding glass doors.” You pointed down the hall as you spoke, and then popped into the kitchen. You heard Murphy’s claws tapping on the hallway tile as he followed Steve outside. 

Carly and Jessica had you corned so fast you briefly wondered if Natasha had trained them. Their eyes were blazing with questions, and they came forth from their mouths like a tsunami now.

“Are you dating _Captain America_?!”

“Months of us telling you to bring home an Avenger and you finally listen AFTER I start dating Dustin?!”

“Is he a natural blond?!”

“Hold it!” You held up your hands, taking a step away from them. “He seemed lonely, so I invited him to eat. He’s a friend, nothing else. Got it?” They pouted at you but didn’t say anything. “Good. Now, I need to take him a beer.” You retrieved one from the fridge and headed outside.

Steve was standing by the grill talking about WWII artillery vehicles with Dustin, who was flipping hamburgers, chicken, and hotdogs. They both looked up when you stepped outside.

“Hey, ___!” called Dustin with a wave of his tongs. “Steve was just telling me about the German tanks in Munich during the war.” 

"Dustin is obsessed with anything World War II," you said as you handed the beer to Steve. He took it with thanks.

“Well, I do know a bit about it,” he said with a laugh. He popped the top of his beer easily and took a drink.

“Did they really use…”

You tuned Dustin out as they launched back into their conversation about artillery and other things you didn’t care about outside your job, so you headed back inside to help the girls—and exchange some gal talk, of course. 

Even though Carly and Jessica had starry eyes the whole evening, the five of you had a great time. You gorged on delicious, All-American food, and Jessica broke out her Cards Against Humanity, which resulted in a lot of laughs (plus a good bit of explaining post-WWII cultural icons to Steve). Murphy ran long for bits of table scraps, and spent a lot of his time sitting by Steve with his head in his lap, begging for more attention from the Captain. 

As the light started to wane and Carly and Jessica began to clear the patio table, Steve broke away from the party and walked out to the end of your yard to watch the setting sun, one hand on his hip and the other grasping his beer. Condensation droplets slid down over his fingers, but he didn’t seem to care.

You excused yourself from cleanup and, picking up your beer first, moved to stand beside Steve. When he noticed you out of the corner of his eye he turned and gave a soft smile. He looked more relaxed than you had even see him, but then again, Steve wasn’t an uptight guy when he wasn’t dealing with Tony.

“Hopefully we haven’t bored you to death today,” you jested, cracking half a smile.

“Definitely not,” he affirmed. “It’s been a very long time since I had a…uh…” he trailed off, at a loss for how to describe it.

“A good ole American afternoon?” you supplied, holding up your beer with a cheeky grin. He laughed, and your heart pounded in your chest at the sound.

“Believe it or not, that’s exactly what it is.”

“Well, I’m glad we made your day,” you said, gently placing a hand on his arm. He took notice but didn’t move away. You continued, “You looked pretty gloomy this morning at the docks.”

“I was,” he admitted. There was silence between the two of you and then Steve turned, leaning to place a kiss on your cheek. “Thank you for taking notice, and turning it around.”

Your cheeks blazed with heat. “A-anytime.”

He grinned and wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pulling you to him. He was warm and solid, and you leaned comfortably against him as together you drank your beers and watched the sunset.

* * *


	9. Waldeinsamkeit (Clint)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m going to go ahead and say STOP! SPOILERS! If you haven’t read Age of Ultron, the last few chapters of this story will be spoilery, especially the very last one. Don’t read past this sentence if you don’t want any spoilers at all.
> 
> In the movie we learn that Clint has a wife and family in a nice country home somewhere safe. For the purpose of this story, YOU are that wife.  
> Next up is Tony, and then we have the bonus chapter. Enjoy!

  
**_Waldeinsamkeit—_** the feeling of being alone in the woods

Like the dutiful wife to a soldier, you had bravely smiled and waved when he left, holding back your tears until the kids were down for their nap. Then you settled into a routine—it was the only thing that kept you sane while you waited for news, for a knock at the door, for anything about your husband. Without your routine of taking care of the children and the property, your thoughts slipped to what could happen to him out there. At night, as you laid awake in bed, you were almost overwhelmed with fear: Fear that you would lose him, fear that you would raise this baby alone.

One day when it had been a couple of weeks, the kids were all fast asleep earlier than usual. You thought they were trying to sleep away the time until dad was home, and it endeared them to you but also broke your heart. You looked outside at the sun shining down on green grass and tall, blooming trees. Flowers sprouted in brilliant colors like semi-permanent fireworks amongst the ground. It was a perfect day for a walk, and the doctor wanted you on your feet as much as you could stand.

So after struggling into yoga pants and tennis shoes, you headed out toward the woods. There was a small trail Clint had created and you followed it. The trees broke up the light into hundreds of brilliant shafts, littering the ground like shattered crystals. The air was so clean and pure, you took deep gasps of it as you continued at a leisurely pace.

It had been awhile since you’d been able to take the time to just walk for no reason, and you were surprised and elated to feel the tension seeping out of your bones and muscles. It was as if nature was healing you, making you stronger. You felt one with the earth, like you truly belonged to it and not the world humans had created. It was freeing. 

You settled on a fallen log after some time when your ankles started to hurt, content to watch and listen while you rested. Some bees buzzed around a cluster of flowers, birds sang and flew from tree to tree, and the wind moved through the trees like a wave, rustling the leaves and bringing rustic, aromatic scents to your nose.

You didn’t notice the split second of silence beforehand, only the arrow that lodged itself in the tree trunk next to you. You yelped, almost leaping off the log, but before you could get up to flee you noticed a piece of paper stuck to the arrow’s shaft. You looked around and didn’t see anyone, but hadn’t expected to either. Taking the paper, you unfolded it and read: Guess who.

You fought the grin that wanted to split your face and stood, looking around again. “Clint? How _dare_ you shoot an arrow at your pregnant wife!”

“Hey, I never miss. Plus, I shot it at the log, not you.”

You almost didn’t notice him. He melted out of the woods like a shadow, suddenly so visible you wondered how it was possible he could hide so well. Hide-and-seek with him and Nat would be zero fun for everyone else. 

You dropped the paper as you hurried to embrace him. He wrapped his arms around you tightly, placing a kiss to your temple, your cheek, your jaw, and finally your lips.

Cupping his face, you pulled him closer, reveling in the feeling of kissing your husband again, your _living_ husband.

You must have made a funny face when you finally pulled back, because he laughed before asking, “Miss me?”

“You know I did. Everyone is all right?”

“Yes,” he said, but he didn’t smile this time. He would have told you if Nat or someone was dead, but something else wasn’t right. You would find out later; Clint never wanted to get into details right away and you weren’t eager to hear bad news.

“C’mon,” you said with a smile, linking your arm with his and intertwining your fingers. “Let’s go wake the kids and have some pie.”

“Is it…?”

“Yes, it’s apple.”

Clint suddenly grabbed you, capturing your lips so passionately you gasped. This, of course, only caused the kiss to heat up more. When he released you, for a moment you thought you might swoon.

“Note to self: Bake more apple pies in the future.”

* * *


	10. Meraki (Tony)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mentioned this in the notes for the last chapter but just in case y’all didn’t read that one: **THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS AGE OF ULTRON SPOILERS.**
> 
> This chapter officially completes the “28 Beautiful Words” challenge! But like I’ve said previously, there’s going to be a bonus chapter. It isn’t written yet but I’ve got an idea for it. It’s going to be a friendship pairing, hurt/comfort. And you can probably guess with who but I’m keeping it a secret a little longer, lol.

  
**_Meraki—_** to do something with soul, creativity, or love; when you leave a piece of yourself in your work

Turning the television off, you dropped the remote onto the table and then buried your head in your hands. Watching anything about Ultron was upsetting to you—your friends had nearly lost their lives—but it was all the media networks were wanting to play. You couldn’t stand it. You hadn’t seen Tony since the battle supposedly ended, you had just gotten a brief “I’m alive, see you soon” phone call. So when he suddenly appeared in Stark tower’s penthouse, you had no idea what you were dealing with. You hurried up to him, flinging your arms around his neck tightly.

“Oh, Tony,” you said into the side of his neck. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

“Yeah, you know me. Indestructible,” he said, but there wasn’t his usual jocularity in his words. He held you more firmly than normal, and when you pulled back to look at him he wouldn’t meet your gaze.

You frowned, your heart beginning to swell with worry. “What’s wrong?”

“What isn’t?” he replied, dodging your question and moving away from you. He went up to the bar by the windows and made himself a scotch neat, but he didn’t drink it, he just stared into it, his thoughts deep inside.

You knew he would bottle things up if you didn’t get him to talk, so you moved to sit on one of the couches and gestured for him to sit next to you. After a moment of hesitation he came over, carrying his untouched scotch. He slumped into the seat and looked up at you. The look in his eyes made your heart break.

You turned in your spot until you were mostly facing him. You leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, settling against his chest and stretching your legs out so that you were practically laying on him. He loosely wrapped his non-scotch-holding arm over your back, returning your kiss.

“You know I love you, right?” you asked softly, absently twirling your finger around on his chest.

He looked into your eyes, already catching onto your plan. “Yes, I do know. And I love you.”

“And I’ll love you no matter what.” You looked pointedly into his eyes. “So please don’t shut me out.”

Tony stared down into his scotch again, swirling it around slowly. “Don’t you already know?” he asked miserably.

In truth, you did. You were kept up to date so you knew that Ultron had been his creation. You couldn’t imagine what he was feeling.

“You didn’t know.” Immediately you knew that was the wrong thing to say. His eyes hardened and he moved, causing you to slide off onto the couch as he stood.

“Maybe not, but I should have,” he said sharply and downed his scotch. He set the glass on the coffee table with a hard clink, and then he started to pace. “I mean, how many movies about robots turning on humanity have there been and then _I decide to do the same damn thing?_ ”

You were speechless. Slowly, you sat up properly, putting your feet on the floor. Before you could speak, he started in again—

“An entire city is _leveled_ because of me, people are dead. They’ve lost everything to my creation.” He paced more furiously, holding his head between his hands. “I killed the kid…”

For a moment you were confused, and then you realized he meant Pietro Maximoff.

“Tony…” You looked up at him with sympathy, careful not to come off as pitying. “It was a mistake.”

He stopped pacing and turned to you, his eyes bearing his broken soul for you like a movie screen. You soundlessly held out your arms and he approached, dropping to his knees at your feet and leaning between your legs to place his head against your stomach. His arms slid around you tightly as you wrapped yours around his head, your fingers absently playing with his hair.

“I put myself into Ultron…” he said quietly, “and instead of protecting people he massacred them. _I_ did.”

“No,” you said forcefully. “No. That did not happen because he had you in him. Only you can be Tony Stark. Ultron borrowed out of ignorance and warped it. He only thought what he had was you.”

Tony was silent, but you could feel some of his tension dissipating from his shoulders. He snuggled closer to you and you leaned down, placing a kiss to the top of his head.

“Everyone makes mistakes, even colossal ones, but you have already done more than enough to make up for it,” you said, “and I know you won’t stop there.”

Tony was still quiet for a time. He looked up at you, moving so that he could place one hand against your cheek, and then he said, “As long as you don’t think I’m a monster, then I can deal with the rest.” 

You smiled as you leaned into his touch. “I definitely don’t think you’re a monster.”

“Good.” He sat back and grabbed your face with both hands now, pulling you into a rough kiss. It deepened and grew in passion until Tony whisked you into his arms and away toward the bedroom. This was more like the Tony you knew and loved.

* * *


	11. Laotong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here it is, the last chapter. I think this is the fastest I’ve ever completed a story, “15 Moments” being the only other one to even come close. 
> 
> I guess you all probably assumed the bonus would be Natasha, and I really wanted this chapter to be a lot better than it is, but this was the best I could manage. Everyone needs that one friend where they can be their weakest self for a moment, right?

  
**_Laotong—_** a friendship bonding two girls for eternity as kindred sisters

The moment you met the Black Widow you knew you were going to freak out because you were a huge fan, but you hadn’t expected that you would become friends, and close ones at that. When Clint was enslaved by Loki she had confided her fears to you; when he was injured during the assault on a Hydra base, when the moment presented itself, she sought out a friendly hug for solace. It may have seemed ridiculous considering she was a superhero, but you were protective of Natasha. The way the two of you could talk and trust one another made her feel like a sister.

The first thing you did when you arrived at the new Avengers facility was seek her out. She was on the top floor, standing in the center of an open room, staring at a wall with her arms crossed. You didn’t have to know that Bruce was gone to understand something was wrong. You stood next to her with a grim smile. She looked over and returned it briefly.

“He’s gone” was all she said, her tone flat.

You gripped her elbow comfortingly. “Hey, let’s go get a drink, huh?”

She hesitated, but then nodded and followed you. You retrieved a bottle of Golden Grain from your barracks and then lead the way to the helipad. The two of you snuck into a Quinjet, away from everyone at the base.

Using the lid as a shot glass, you filled it and handed the first to Natasha. She downed it and held the cap out for more. This continued until the two of you finished one third of the bottle and were starting to spill more than you drank.

Natasha leaned her head against your shoulder and sighed. You wrapped an arm around her shoulders and leaned your head against hers.

“Do you know what you’re going to do?” you asked gently.

Nat knew she didn’t have to answer if she didn’t want to, but she said, “I haven’t decided yet. If he wants to be alone I should respect that, shouldn’t I?”

You frowned. “Probably, yeah. But what do you _really_ want to do?”

She sighed again, reaching up to push her hair out of her face. “I want to find him and go after him.” She moved to look at you. “Don’t tell me you want me to do that, because then I’ll do it.”

You laughed some. “I know, I would be the same way. Nat, we both know you’re going to find him anyway, but give him time to come to you before you confront him.”

“Ugh.” She hung her head and then grabbed the Golden Grain and its lid again and poured a shot, handing it to you. “Let’s get so drunk we forget our names.”

“Here here!” you agreed and downed the shot.

 

Steve and Clint found you the next morning, passed out on each other in the facility’s courtyard on a quilt, surrounded by empty chocolate wrappers and an empty bottle of Golden Grain.

**_FIN_ **


End file.
